in 1832, the first dnc was held in a baltimore saloon. a hundred years later, franklin delano roosevelt was the first major party candidate to accept the nomination in person. in 1940, fdr's wife eleanor was the first woman to address a national political convention. in 1984, geraldine ferraro was the first woman placed on the national ticket by a major party. in 2000, the first jewish candidate. and this year, the first hispanic to deliver the keynote address at the dnc. preparations for the four-day convention have been under way for months. the time warner arena is going through a $7 million renovation. 400 seats will be temporarily removed to make room for the stage, podium, and of course television cameras. >> from day one, all of our efforts, from format to funding, have maintained a singular focus, to put on the most open and accessible convention in history. >> reporter: mayor anthony fox hopes the convention will showcase what the queen city has to offer. >> the convention will beincredh carolina to demonstrate that we are a dyna